This invention relates generally to packaging and more specifically to reusable suspension packaging of irregular shaped items.
As is known in the art, it is often necessary for irregular-shaped items to be packaged and transported over large distances during part of the manufacturing process for an article. For example, a computer system is assembled from circuit boards. Often these circuit boards are manufactured in different facilities and are transported to a computer system assembly facility. These circuits boards are generally populated with integrated circuits and often take on different sizes and shapes. They are thus transported from one manufacturing facility to the computer system assembly facility.
For circuit boards special problems arise in safely transporting these devices. In particular, the different sizes and heights of integrated circuits bonded to the circuit board and the existence of components at the outer edges of the circuit board present difficult challenges. Several approaches are possible including the use of reusable bulk packages. Most reusable bulk packages are made of rigid plastic or corrugated fiberboard which can be knocked down, i.e., taken apart and nested or shipped flat for return delivery of the packaging for their eventual reuse. One problem with many of these approaches, however, is that they do not adequately provide an arrangement for transporting circuit boards when the circuit boards have components disposed at the periphery of the board. Moreover, many of these arrangements do not permit circuit boards having different heights of components disposed thereon to be adequately shipped without redesign or providing additional packaging materials such as cushioning materials or spacers.
Another approach is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,743. In this patent a reusable folder is described. The folder is comprised of a two sheets of plastic bonded to two sheets of fiberboard with each fiberboard sheet having a window cutout. The sheets of plastic form a hinge thereby allowing an article to be suspended between the plastic sheets disposed in the region of the pair of cutouts in the fiberboard. While this arrangement provides a technique for suspending a component in the package, one problem associated with this described folder is that the hinge portion provided by the plastic film and fiberboard sheet is relatively weak and is susceptible to damage, particularly if the folder is reused several times as is generally the intent in the above-described environments. Moreover, damage to the hinge may cause even more serious damage to the component which it is carrying should the hinge give way and the component fall through the bottom of the folder.